Further weather warning

Jim Milnes

A Yellow (Be Aware) Weather Warning for much of the Scottish Borders has been issued by the Met Office for 8am to 6pm today, Friday February 5.

Around 20mm of rain is expected to fall widely across the region, but localised downpours could result in areas receiving 40mm of rainfall.

The forecast for Friday has the potential to bring weather similar to that experienced last Wednesday (27 January), when flooding affected Jedburgh and Hawick.

As a result, Scottish Borders Council (SBC) is warning residents to be prepared for the potential for surface and river flooding and travel disruption, particularly in the western half of the Scottish Borders.

Jim Fraser, SBC’s Emergency Planning Officer, said: “The information we have from the Met Office is that a band of rain will reach the western Borders between 6am and 9am and will persist throughout the day, gradually moving eastward, but easing in the evening.

“Unfortunately, amongst that rain there is the potential for some extremely heavy showers, similar to those experienced last Wednesday.

“At this stage, predicting where these downpours will fall is impossible, but we will be monitoring the forecast very carefully over the next 24 hours and will liaise with the Met Office to get as much detail as we can.

“Thanks to the early warning for the potential heavy rainfall, we are putting plans in place to enable us to respond effectively to any impact this may bring.”

Residents are advised to keep up to date with the latest forecasts and warning from the Met Office.